Adam Carolla Claims Gay Mafia Runs Hollywood, Says He's Not Antigay

'If you can’t work with gay people, you're gonna have a difficult time in Hollywood,' says the comedian.

BY Jase Peeples

May 20 2014 8:49 PM ET

Comedian Adam Carolla found himself in hot water with LGBT media groups such as GLAAD after making a string of perceived antigay jokes in 2011, which included saying the LGBT acronym should be changed to YUCK. Though he gave a grudging apology at the time, Carolla insisted that comedians should get a pass when it comes to homophobic statements, saying, “We are comedians, we’re supposed to say these things. … I’m not saying hurtful things. We make no policies. I don’t control anything, I just tell jokes.”

However, in a new interview with Salon about his just-released book President Me: The America That’s in My Head, the comedian makes it clear that he remains upset about being criticized for making antigay comments allegedly in jest and claims the LGBT community has “turned into a mafia … demanding everyone apologize for every joke and retract every statement.”

During the Q&A, Carolla offered his career success as proof he isn’t antigay, as he claims the gay mafia runs Hollywood.

“If you can’t work with gay people, you’re gonna have a difficult time in Hollywood,” the comedian told Salon. “There’s plenty of gay people, and they’re in positions above you. [If you’re antigay] you’re not going to get your movie directed.”

Carolla also sounded off when asked about “systemic disadvantages” for racial minorities, claiming such claims were unfounded. “How did Asians pass white people? They got lucky? Someone should look into that, perhaps. I would go ahead and say: The Asians beat the rigged system and did better than white people,” he told Salon. “You don’t think that’d be something to look into? Do you think we decided to rig the system against certain ethnicities?”

“I grew up loving Richard Pryor, but I didn’t ask why I enjoyed someone who’s not white,” he added. “It’s fucked up. … I don’t feel like I need a comedian to represent me.”